Episode Summary
Episode 16 saw some major romantic developments and comedic mishaps. Jiang Ruosong and Zhou Jieyue awkwardly confessed their feelings for each other after some initial misunderstandings. Meanwhile, Lu Dao hilariously failed in her attempts to get Gu Zhengxing to notice her legs, first on stage and then during a chaotic go-karting session that ended with an impromptu leg waxing for Gu Zhengxing. Ye Qi's elaborate birthday plans for Zuo Qian Dai involved a disastrous paintball game where he accidentally shot her, a slow go-kart ride, and a fishing trip that inadvertently revealed Chai Ziyu and Ye Zhen nearby. Despite the day's blunders, Ye Qi managed a sweet surprise by dedicating a birthday song to Zuo Qian Dai on the radio and presenting her with a cake, making her feel protected and cherished.
Spoiler Alert
First off, let's talk about Jiang Ruosong and Zhou Jieyue. After some serious nudging from his basketball buddies, Jiang Ruosong finally decided to lay his cards on the table and tell Zhou Jieyue how he feels. But, as you can imagine, the dude was a bundle of nerves, totally overthinking what kind of storm he was about to unleash. The funny part? During their chat, Jiang Ruosong thought Zhou Jieyue had figured out his secret identity as "Luoleilai" and was already scrambling for a cover story. But then, plot twist! Zhou Jieyue just blurts out that she likes him. Bam! The world pretty much stopped for these two. They just stood there, stunned, with Jiang Ruosong suddenly getting all shy.
Meanwhile, Lu Dao had a "Eureka!" moment, realizing she was the owner of the "beautiful legs" Gu Zhengxing was searching for. So, naturally, during her next stage performance, she was all about flaunting those legs for him. But Gu Zhengxing? Totally oblivious. He was so laser-focused on the shoot, he was actually ticked off that "Ai Erhao" (presumably Lu Dao's character or group) wasn't sticking to the script. He didn't even glance at her legs! Seeing her efforts go unnoticed, Lu Dao decided she needed a new plan.
Then we have Ye Qi, who dragged Zuo Qian Dai to a live-action CS (paintball) game. He claimed it was for "research," but Zuo Qian Dai was pretty sure it was all a ploy to make her feel protected for her birthday. Sweet, right? Well, when the game started, both of them were a bit freaked out. Seeing Zuo Qian Dai all timid, Ye Qi’s "masculine hormones" apparently kicked in, and he was determined to be her knight in shining armor. Zuo Qian Dai, bless her heart, was already picturing herself conquering all their enemies under Ye Qi's protection. Ye Qi had all these grand plans and routes mapped out, but the second he popped out from cover, he got taken out. Whoops.
As fate would have it, Zhou Jieyue, trying to regain some dignity after her shy escape from Jiang Ruosong, also dragged him to the same paintball field. And guess what? She got all flustered and blushy again, nearly getting ambushed. Quick-thinking Jiang Ruosong tackled her to the ground, saving her and, you know, getting them a little closer. Back on Zuo Qian Dai's side, seeing Ye Qi eliminated made her furious. She went full Rambo, screaming and spraying paintballs everywhere, and accidentally hit Zhou Jieyue, taking her out of the game. This, of course, enraged Jiang Ruosong, who then eliminated Zuo Qian Dai, securing the win for his team and earning praise from Zhou Jieyue.
Round two of paintball! This time, Ye Qi swore he'd protect Zuo Qian Dai. The result? He got so antsy he accidentally shot her himself. Smooth, Ye Qi, real smooth.
Next up, Ye Qi decided to treat Zuo Qian Dai to some go-karting. But, being the scaredy-cat he apparently is, he drove super slowly. Lu Dao, still on her mission to get Gu Zhengxing to notice her legs, also brought him go-karting. She was speeding around, constantly telling Gu Zhengxing to check out her gams. But Gu Zhengxing was too busy being terrified to pay any attention to her legs. Lu Dao, thinking Chai Ziyu’s intel about Gu Zhengxing liking her legs was bogus, then had a major misunderstanding. She somehow concluded that Gu Zhengxing wanted to have perfect legs himself. So, she decided to "help" by whipping out waxing strips and yanking off a patch of his leg hair. Poor Gu Zhengxing was not prepared and was left in a world of pain.
Later that evening, Ye Qi and Zuo Qian Dai were fishing. In a classic rom-com moment, Ye Qi’s fishing hook snagged a piece of Chai Ziyu’s clothing, revealing that Chai Ziyu and Ye Zhen were nearby. After a long day of "fun," Ye Qi had urgent business but, of course, his phone was dead. Zuo Qian Dai’s phone was also out of juice. In a rush, Zuo Qian Dai grabbed Ye Qi, and they managed to flag down a taxi, urging the driver to step on it. Unfortunately, their need for speed led to a car accident. Stuck in the car, Ye Qi turned on the radio. Turns out, this was all part of his grand plan! He wanted Zuo Qian Dai to hear his gift – he had requested a "Happy Birthday" song for her on the radio. Zuo Qian Dai was incredibly touched. Looking back at all the day's events, she felt like Ye Qi had truly been protecting her all along. To top it all off, Ye Qi presented her with a birthday cake, giving Zuo Qian Dai a perfect end to her birthday. Aww!
